Career and Education Opportunities for Forest Firefighters in Oklahoma

Oklahoma has a population of 3,687,050, which has grown by 6.85% over the past decade. Nicknamed the "Sooner State," Oklahoma's capital and largest city is Oklahoma City.

There are currently 4,600 working forest firefighters in Oklahoma; this should grow 19% to about 5,470 working forest firefighters in the state by 2016. This is better than the national trend for forest firefighters, which sees this job pool growing by about 18.5% over the next eight years. In general, forest firefighters control and suppress fires in forests or vacant public land.

Forest firefighters earn approximately $18 hourly or $39,070 yearly on average in Oklahoma. Nationally they average about $21 hourly or $44,260 yearly. Earnings for forest firefighters are not quite as good as earnings in the general category of Fire Control in Oklahoma and not quite as good as general Fire Control category earnings nationally. People working as forest firefighters can fill a number of jobs, such as: engine boss, fire fighter, and handcrew foreman.

In 2008, there were a total of 2,206,469 jobs in Oklahoma. The average annual income was $35,969 in 2008, up from $34,298 the previous year. The unemployment rate in Oklahoma was 6.4% in 2009, which has grown by 2.7% since the previous year. About 20.3% of Oklahoma residents have college degrees, which is lower than the national average.

The top industries in Oklahoma include boiler, tank, and shipping container manufacturing, pump manufacturing, and oil field machinery manufacturing. Notable tourist attractions include the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, the Amateur Softball Association of Amrca NTNL Hdqrtrs, and the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.

CITIES WITH Forest Firefighter OPPORTUNITIES IN Oklahoma

JOB DESCRIPTION: Forest Firefighter

Forest Firefighter video from the State of New Jersey Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

In general, forest firefighters control and suppress fires in forests or vacant public land.

Every day, forest firefighters are expected to be able to lift, push and move large and heavy objects. They need to evaluate problems as they arise. It is also important that they listen to and understand others in meetings.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in Oklahoma include:

Fire Code Inspector. Inspect buildings and equipment to detect fire hazards and enforce state and local regulations.

Fire Fighter. Control and extinguish municipal fires, protect life and property and conduct rescue efforts.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Oklahoma

Oklahoma photo by Nyttend

Oklahoma has a population of 3,687,050, which has grown by 6.85% over the past decade. Nicknamed the "Sooner State," Oklahoma's capital and biggest city is Oklahoma City. In 2008, there were a total of 2,206,469 jobs in Oklahoma. The average annual income was $35,969 in 2008, up from $34,298 the previous year. The unemployment rate in Oklahoma was 6.4% in 2009, which has grown by 2.7% since the previous year. Approximately 20.3% of Oklahoma residents have college degrees, which is lower than the national average.

The top industries in Oklahoma include boiler, tank, and shipping container manufacturing, pump manufacturing, and oil field machinery manufacturing. Notable tourist attractions include the Amateur Softball Association of Amrca NTNL Hdqrtrs, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, and the Oklahoma Museums Association.